Monday Must-Reads: Live in the Moment, Live a Happier Life
Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. Katie and I spent the weekend in Oxford, Ohio visiting our Alma mater Miami University for the first time since we graduated 4 years ago. I was lucky enough to have a long lunch with my favorite college professor (a man who has greatly impacted my life) and get a tour of our new $65 million business school. It really blew me away. Going back made me appreciate being able to spend 4 years learning in such a beautiful place. I feel compelled to write my parents a thank you note for sacrificing so much to send me there for four years. There’s no doubt that it instilled many seeds of knowledge in me that are just starting to bloom.
This week’s theme is to be happy and live in the moment. The chapters of our lives go by so quickly. It’s not worth wishing you were somewhere else. Every day you can do something little to shape the direction of your life. The more you focus on the moment, the less you will focus on the negatives and the stress in your life. Enjoy this week’s picks!
The Skool Of Life: Focus on What You Can Do Today I ABSOLUTELY love this post. It compliments Friday’s 10 year vision post well. For those of you starting a passion project or entrepreneurial venture, this is especially relevant. All the planning in the world is nothing compared do doing it. What can you do TODAY to get you steps closer to your goals? For example, “today, I may not be able to write a novel, but I can write the first sentence, first paragraph or even the first chapter.”
Zen Habits: The Zen of Doing This article’s extremely simple advice should help you have a more productive week. It suggests, “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” So translation into our life equals: when at work, give your smart phone a break. When attending a meeting, mentally attend the meeting. While running, stop stressing out about boyfriend drama. While finishing a project, finish the project instead of going on Twitter. You get the idea. Enjoy the moment, filter the noise and “just do it!”
Recommended Reading: Get a Life, Not a Job Pursuing a traditional 9-5 type of career path is scary for many recent grads. Paula Caligiuri, PhD author of Get a Life, Not a Job shares my perspective that a career should be diversified the way an investment portfolio should be diversified. Putting all of your eggs in one basket with only one income source can be a scary venture these days. It can also leave you feeling unfulfilled. Consider pursuing a “passion project” or creating additional revenue streams for yourself for the ultimate level of career satisfaction.
Planners vs. Actors: How to find a profitable balance between over thinking and jumping the gun As we discussed in Friday’s 10 year vision post, how much planning is too much planning? And how productive is not planning? Neither strategy is ideal. Maribeth Kuzmeski lists 4 typical “modes of action.” Which one are you?
80 Day Project:Easy Steps to Write Your Own Life. “Learn to write your own life. The story gets so much better.” –Chris Brogan follow how Melissa of “Peace and Projects” is taking charge of her life and writing her own story.
